"Jeopardy!"
is the cream of the crop of game shows. To win on this quiz show, you really
have to know your stuff. You can't bluff your way here. Only geniuses need
apply to this super-trivia game, where contestants supply "questions"
to match "answers," such as: "This capital of Nepal was
made famous in a song by Bob Seger." (The correct question: "What is
Kathmandu?")

Hosted
byAlex Trebek,
this show is second only to "Wheel
of Fortune" in the evening ratings (both shows are produced
byMerv Griffin).
The show airs locally in L.A. on weeknights at 7 PM, on Channel 7
(of the ABC network).

Heck, just getting to be a contestant
on this show is probably more difficult than actually playing the game.

I tried out for "Jeopardy!"
myself - twice.

Their test is tough... very
tough! I saw over 100 would-be contestants go in, all of them full
of confidence that they were going to ace this test. And I a few minutes
later I watched all but five of them stagger out as shocked losers. On
my second try, after cramming for months, I finally managed to pass their
test (once again, there were only five or six survivors, out of a test
group nearly 100), but I still didn't make it onto the show. The
producers simply never called me back.

After the test, in the next
step in the screening process, contestant coordinators conduct stand-up
interviews; the would-be contestants are put through a mock "Jeopardy!"
show, using little paper signs in place of the large "Jeopardy!"
board.

(Hint: they're looking
for people who speak loudly here, and for those who are knowledgeable of
all the little "Jeopardy!" phrases: "I'll take
History for $100, please,Alex!").

After putting us through all
of this, the game show's producer then blithely informed us that it was
so late in their taping season that they probably wouldn't need any more
contestants that year - and our chances of being called back were slim
and none. I know I never heard from them again...

For more information or for
an appointment to take the test , phone (310) 244-5367,
Mon-Fri: 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM, or drop a postcard to:

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